


Protect Me

by strange_nut_pirate



Series: OTP Prompt Oneshots [8]
Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: Also Eriol is kind of a villain here, But I wanted to do something soft, F/M, I also haven’t watched clear cards so there will be none of that, Sakura has got lots of power :), Soft Sakura, Syaoran is also soft don’t you worry, Warning: cringey and cheesy, don’t mess with her mans, or his girl for that matter, sorry eriol stans :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:15:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23838208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strange_nut_pirate/pseuds/strange_nut_pirate
Summary: Eriol has finally lost it, but Syaoran had always known that, since he had first stepped into Tomoeda Elementary, he had known. However, when Eriol kidnaps Sakura and refuses to give her back, Syaoran takes it upon himself to find and protect her.
Relationships: Kinomoto Sakura/Li Syaoran
Series: OTP Prompt Oneshots [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1657651
Kudos: 17





	Protect Me

**Author's Note:**

> I put off posting this one for a while now, because I wasn’t too happy with it so I kept editing it and rewriting it and if I’m totally honest, it’s still pretty bad. But whatever! I love these two softies! I also haven’t watched Clear Card yet, so there won’t be any content from that here. And I know Syaoran grows up to be emotionally mature and heroic and suave and whatnot, but I love old, flustered, tsundere Syaoran so much so don’t expect him to be so debonair.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy 💚💗💚💗
> 
> Prompts from— https://drink-it-write-it.tumblr.com/post/189074732022/200-prompts

**“You take me instead, do you hear me? Give her back and take me instead.”**

Eriol laughed.

“Why? I’m not going to hurt her,” he said, smiling proudly.

 _God, he is so irritating,_ Syaoran thought, clenching his fists. 

“Besides,” Eriol continued, “I can't have anyone else but her. She’s the new master of the Clow cards, not you. There’s no need to give yourself that much credit.”

“I don’t care what you want with her, you can’t treat her like a doll to experiment on.”

“She’s my friend too! I’m not a bad guy, Syaoran, despite what you may think. I just want to _know_ more. Wouldn’t you?”

Syaoran grit his teeth, his grip on his sword tightening painfully.

“Not if Sakura didn’t agree to this. And I know she wouldn’t, so no.”

“Oh, please,” Eriol said, his expression incredibly smug, but (and Syaoran could’ve heard wrong) there did seem to be a list of pity in his tone.

Now, Syaoran really wanted to punch him. He didn’t even bother to deny what he was saying. But he had to hold fast. Tomoyo should have Keroberos and Yukito any minute, which meant they also had Yue. But still, Syaoran didn’t like those chances. If Eriol really was the rebirth of Clow, there was no telling how powerful he truly was. If it was anyone who could match that kind of power, it was Sakura, and she was out of commission right now. However, Eriol had not been nearly as powerful in his heyday, leading up to Sakura’s confrontation. But whatever the reason was, that didn’t excuse Ruby and Spinel, who could be around right now, and then Kero and Yue would very much be occupied.

 _Why_ did he ever think Eriol would leave them alone after his little test? The guy was absolutely crazy about the cards! And only Syaoran could have seen it from the start. Since the day when Eriol stepped into Tomoeda, he had gotten bad vibes from him.

And here they were now.

Dealing with his shit again.

 _Years_ later than when they were in elementary.

“Come on, Eriol! We’ve given you five years to redeem yourself, and even if I lost my patience on the second day of knowing you, I put up with it because Sakura did. But now I can’t give two shits. I’ve offered you me, and you’ve said no, so that’s it! Sakura isn’t going to forgive you again!”

Eriol rolled his eyes and tsked.

“You’re all _so_ dramatic! I'm not doing anything bad! I just want to know more about Sakura’s power! That’s all!”

“Give her back!”

“She doesn’t need you to protect her.”

“As someone who actually gives a crap about her, I want to protect her from morons who don’t. Like you, for example.”

“Aw, I’m not all that bad.”

“You’re an obsessed sociopath, and I’m done with it.”

Anger flashed in his eyes, and Syaoran hated the little wave of uneasiness that washed over him. He shouldn’t be afraid of Eriol. He just needed Sakura back, _now._

“You’re so lucky, and you’re not even grateful about it,” Eriol spat at him, a cold, dark hatred simmering in his eyes. “You don’t even try to get stronger, Syaoran Li, you just bend over backwards for a stronger power, and stand next to her idly. It’s pathetic. And it’s sad, because you do have power. You just don’t use it unless it’s for her. And it’s depressing to witness.”

Syaoran blinked in shock, and then smirked.

“Clow not talking to you much these days, Eriol?” He asked, his voice sarcastically sweet.

Eriol scowled, raising his staff, and Syaoran braced himself. He _knew_ he had hit a sore spot there when he’d said it, but he didn’t care about hurting Eriol anymore. He had Sakura. Beautiful, innocent, sweet Sakura. And Syaoran was going to go crazy if she wasn’t safe. 

Where the _hell_ was Tomoyo?

A blast shot out from Eriol’s staff, so powerful and damaging that Syaoran had no choice but to dodge his angry blows. He did try to use his swords and a few spells against him, but Eriol deflected them easily.

 _He’s been training without the help of Clow,_ Syaoran thought solemnly.

“You need to give her back!” He yelled at him, hoping to get Eriol talking again.

“What if she likes it better with me?” Eriol grinned, making Syaoran want to dry-retch.

“Just so you know,” a voice said from behind the two boys, which made one of them light up with relief, and the other shrivel up in upending fear, “I don’t.”

Then Eriol got picked up by such a strong gust of wind, it hurt Syaoran to keep his eyes open. He heard him scream and fall somewhere, then another burst of power shot off from behind him and Eriol’s insistent yelling stopped. When Syaoran saw him again, he was bound up in a nearby tree, unable to move. Syaoran didn’t know what kind of cards were used on him, but he wasn’t going to question it.

He then looked up, and in front of him again and stood _her._

And she took his breath away like she always managed to do.

She was breathless, her cheeks full of colour, and forehead slick with sweat. She looked dazed, like how she normally did when she used too much of her power, and Syaoran imagined that she had to use more magic to escape Eriol’s trap (whatever that was). Tomoyo was behind her, and (Syaoran rolled his eyes) with her camera. Kero and Yue too.

 _Was I the only one fighting him?!_ He thought incredulously.

But then she smiled at him, her brilliant, glowing smile that made him go to her almost by instinct. She had been unsteady on her feet before, but as soon as he wrapped his arms around her, she sighed contentedly and fell into them. He grunted under her sudden weight, but managed to lower her into a safe position on the ground, yet she refused to leave him.

“Syaoran,” she sighed happily, touching his face. Her touch were like feathers. “You’re here.”

“Of course I am,” he said immediately, his brows furrowed in worry.

“I found her bound by magical chains, unconscious,” Tomoyo explained, her voice wavering unsteadily as she looked down at Sakura with the same expression Syaoran had. “Yue and Kero were going to give you backup and I was going to find Sakura, but when they saw the chains, they said it would take a lot of their combined power to wake Sakura up and give her strength to break her chains, because only Sakura was capable of that. When she was free, she was really worn out, so I told her we should go home, and then she asked where you were, so I said you were with Eriol, and Kero and Yue were making their way over to help you right now. And then she started to freak out, and didn’t want Yue and Kero to go without her, and you know how determined she is when she sets her mind to something. There was no stopping her. And yeah, you know the rest.”

Her worried gaze returned back to Sakura, who was barely conscious in Syaoran’s arms.

“Dumby,” he said to her, his voice thick with emotion. “Why couldn’t you just let Kero and Yue take on Eriol?”

“For once, I agree with the brat,” Kero said, shaking his head.

Yue just looked on cautiously, his cold face analysing the scene before him.

“Eriol could’ve hurt you,” Sakura murmured. “I don’t care about my energy, Syaoran. You just _had_ to be safe.”

Syaoran wasn’t normally sensitive and emotional like Sakura was, in fact, one of the things he was best at was running from his emotions. But when she said that, it struck a chord in him, and he felt like crying a bit. He didn’t do it, but he felt like he wanted to.

“You’re a dumby,” he said instead, then kissed her on the cheek.

She smiled again, and nuzzled herself to him, like she wanted to bury herself in his warmth (Syaoran will gladly let her).

“I have to protect you,” she said simply.

Syaoran might’ve kissed her again, not caring about who saw, but he heard a rustle next to him, and looked up to see a camera in his face.

Tomoyo giggled.

“You guys are too cute,” she sighed, just as Syaoran gave her the bird.


End file.
